I Can Go the Distance
by GraphXButterfly
Summary: Sometimes the journey you start out on, is not the one you end up on.


I Can Go the Distance

Chapter 1: Starting Out On a Journey

Summary: Sometimes the journey you end up on is not the one you started on.

_When I was a young girl, I was once told, that sometimes you're life's journey is not what you think it is, you can't plan your destiny, you can't even control it. You're destiny is predefined, something you can't choose, something you can't control. I never believed in such things. I was one that believed that you could control every aspect of your life; it wasn't some random set of events that would just happen regardless of what you wanted, or thought. I was a scientist, an explorer, a realist. Nothing in life was beyond my control, nothing, I was the one that would determine what I was going to do, where I was going to go. My life's journey was going to be one that I decided, I would take the steps, and it would be me that created my own life story… At least this is what I believe until one day everything changed…_

"Report" the voice of a red-haired woman echoed through the bridge as she knelt over the lifeless body of her first officer. The reports of heavy damage throughout the ship came from a young dark haired ensign. Kathryn looked around her ship, it was beat up; parts were falling from every direction. She moved a tall blond man away from the con. station. Reports of strange readings from outside the ship were being told. When the view screen became operational again, a strange space station was shown, beams of light emanating from its base. This was just the beginning of a journey that no one on that tiny ship had ever dreamed possible. Somehow this ship, had been plucked from its home, and placed over seventy-five thousand light years from everything they knew.

It had now been three years since that first event. New crew had been added, many people had died since the day the ship had set sail, but they're journey wasn't anywhere near over. A ship that had once been divided by extreme differences in discipline, and beliefs were now a family, at least well most of them. People began to settle down, and started to open up to their new home as being voyager, true they still wanted to return to earth, to their families that at this point still didn't know that they were alive. But things were beginning to change; people were smiling more and more, letting their hair down, and most of all forming bonds that would last a life time.

Kathryn strolled down the corridors, just touring her ship. She had come to terms a while back or at least she'd thought she had about their circumstances, a tiny little ship, lost out in the middle of uncharted territory. Something she most certainly wouldn't have chosen for herself, but something she didn't at this point mind. She passed a few crewmen she nodded "good morning" she stated as she passed by them. They nodded their greetings back, muttering the words good morning, and hello captain. She then found herself in the mess hall, what once had been her own personal dining hall, had become the center of the ship, the place where friendships were formed, and gossip ran wild. If you needed to know what was going on, just go there and you would know within a short period of time.

Kathryn walked up to the counter, and was soon greeted by an always overly exuberant Neelix. "Captain, what can I get for you" he asked.

"I'll take whatever your special is Mr. Neelix." She smiled; she was in a particularly good mood.

"Alright captain one special coming right up" he was more than happy to load up her tray with what he'd been working on all morning. He also made sure that she had a full cup of coffee ready to go.

"Thank you Mr. Neelix" she smiled and then made her way toward her favorite table. She walked by ushering greetings to the crewmen that she passed. She then settled down to eat. She first studied her plate, and then decided that it looked like it could be editable, which thankfully it was. She finished her meal, and then made her way to the bridge, the senior staff was already seated, "Report" she called out as she entered the bridge. It was Tom Paris that responded.

"We are on heading mark 65608, warp seven, we should be within range of the planet in five hours" came his morning matter of fact tone, with just a hint of his personality.

"Thank you Mr. Paris," she grabbed a data padd that Chakotay was holding out for her, in the hand that wasn't holding her coffee from the morning. "Thank you Commander, you have the bridge" she then disappeared into her ready room. She had a few reports to go over before they reached their current destination.

The hours passed quickly, and soon she was summoned back to the bridge. The planet was beautiful, M Class uninhabited. "Captain, it appears to be rich in dilithium deposits" Harry Kim responded.

"Excellent" she smiled, they're detour hadn't been in vain. "Harry, work with B'Elanna, I want to be ready to start mining it tomorrow. Tom, I want you to assist Neelix in gathering food stuffs, Commander you're in charge of R and R rotations. Make sure that everyone gets a chance to go down to the surface." She then settled into her command chair, as the crew began to bustle around. The thought of some time off the ship was a wonderful motivator. Kathryn herself was excited at the prospect, but she wanted to make sure her crew had time first, after all that was her burden as the captain.


End file.
